Allow me to do something new: review the columns I wrote in 2019, to look for patterns or recurring themes. I wrote seven columns related to the midterm elections and its aftermath, including “How much power does Inday Sara have?” — one of at least three occasions where I raised, and tried to answer, […]

  MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is eyeing another agreement with France to strengthen maritime defense cooperation. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and French Defense Minister Florence Parly recently signed the Letter of Intent on Enhancing Defense Cooperation in the Maritime Domain in Paris. “Secretary Lorenzana’s visit to France culminated in the increased level of interaction […]

  Beijing — China on Monday called the expulsion of diplomats from the U.S. a “mistake,” following reports that Washington quietly expelled two embassy officials in September after they drove onto a sensitive military base in Virginia. The incident is the latest spat between the world’s two biggest economies and comes days after they announced […]

  Ever since President Trump launched a trade war with China in March 2018, I have been hearing foreign-policy elites say: “Trump is a terrible president. But he’s right about China, and I’m glad he’s doing something about it.” Indeed, the trade war has been one of the few Trump policies that has won support […]

  JAPAN has sent a chilling warning to China as tensions continue to soar over the disputed South China Sea. Japan’s Defence Minister Taro Kono has warned Beijing against its growing influence in the world and accused the nation of making “unilateral and coercive attempts” to break international law in the South China Sea. Mr […]

  China’s military has stepped up its exercises in the South China Sea to prepare for “unexpected confrontations”, according to a report in Sunday’s PLA Daily. The military mouthpiece said a naval aviation unit under the Southern Theatre Command had completed a long-time early warning reconnaissance drill in which participants identified more than 10 kinds […]

  Key point: People’s war could start to look awfully like conventional marine combat if Beijing believes the military balance and the trendlines favor China. Last year China’s defense minister, General Chang Wanquan, implored the nation to ready itself for a “people’s war at sea.” The purpose of such a campaign? To “safeguard sovereignty” after […]

  BEIJING – The United States needs to brush up on its history about the South China Sea, as World War Two-related agreements mandated that all Chinese territories taken by Japan had to be returned to China, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in Australia. China has been upset by previous comments from the new […]

  CHINA’S actions in the South China Sea are designed to “coerce and bully” its neighbours, according to a top US Navy commander. Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet, lashed out at Beijing for using its military strength to intimidate other countries in the region and warned China must respect the […]

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at a news conference after restoring diplomatic ties with Kiribati on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, U.S. September 27, 2019. Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said on Friday that the United States had seriously damaged the hard-won mutual trust between the countries by […]